Destiny or Duty
by Skye Darkwing
Summary: REWRITE: Usagi must choose between the DESTINY that has been laid out before her or the DUTY she owes to those close to her. Will our blonde headed ordango make the right choice?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: Where are you?**

"SAILOR MARS WATCH OUT!"

The warning cry came from a very bloody and bruised Sailor Venus. The long golden hair blonde had fallen to her knees on seconds before and looked up in time to see one of their attacks raise its arm and toss over an energy ball. Sailor Mars turned and began to raise her wand for a defense attack, but was only hit dead on in the chest by the blast. She hit the ground hard with a loud thud as her head hit the grass below her. She tumbled over a couple of times before landing on her stomach.

The attack came as a surprise to the group of young teenagers and young man. There had been no signs of any negative energy that would lead them to believe there was an enemy again. Their foes came in a group of twenty. Tall, thin, figures dressed up in black clothing that hid their faces. They made themselves appear to be ninjas that the group had only seen in action movies. However, they moved with a great deal of agility and speed that it made them seem non-human like. It was as if they were merely shadows moving with the force of the wind.

"Damnit! Where is that stupid klutz?" Sailor Mars shouted out in annoyance. She lifted herself up on all fours which gave Venus enough time to crawl over to her friend and help each other stand.

"She's not answering her communicator." Sailor Mercury called out as she swung her leg high and to the left in order to hit the face of one of their foes. Luckily her calculated timing was right on and she was able to smack one of the youmas to the ground. That gave her enough time to retrieve her mini computer and scan the fallen one. They had to have a weakness somewhere; everything they ever fought had a weak point. She just had to find it.

The group gathered into a circle in the middle of the park. A perfectly good day to have a picnic by the lake was now ruined. Would they ever get a rest, or were they doomed to spend eternity fighting for their lives and home? Back to back, the stood in a fighting stance as the youmas recovered from their attacks and began circling the scouts.

"When I get my hands on that scrawny little neck of Usagi's I'm gonn-." Mars swore, gritting her teeth and balling up her fists. She had been interrupted by another female voice.

"Calm down, Mars. Let's deal with these things and then we'll find out what's wrong with Usagi." Sailor Mercury called out.

The "ninja" youmas lifted up their thin swords and walked towards the girls. When they were about to attack a strange earth-shattering feeling overcame all of them and then a crackling golden lighting bolt slashed out like an angry snake striking out at its prey. The group of girls covered their eyes with one of their arms and jumped back a step so that the lightening attack wouldn't hit them. When all was settled they uncovered their eyes to see that Tuxedo Mask had transformed into his Prince Endymion form. They let out a sigh of relief and looked upon the sight before them. Their attackers had been thrown to the group, lying their moaning in pain. Each scout's lip cracked to the side as a victorious grin made its way onto their faces. They readied their attack to finish of the youmas suddenly the group in black had been engulfed in individual holes that appeared beneath them, swallowed them up, and disappeared.

The scouts and Endymion held a concern look in their eyes, not sure what had just happened. Waiting a moment to make sure that the youmas had not deceived them, they recuperated from the small battle and began picking up the mess that way made from the beginning. Endymion looked around and then turned back to the scouts.

"Where is Sailor Moon?"

Each glanced around at each other and shrugged. Usagi had never missed a battle before. They knew something must have happened for her to abandon her friends like that. Sailor Mars was angry, yes, but over the three years that they had fought along side each other, she learned to have faith in her princess. She had an eerie feeling that crept inside her stomach and made it twist up inside. Yet, as of lately, her friend had missed out on the last couple of attacks.

"She never came." Sailor Venus said, picking up the loaf of bread.

"Never even answered her communicator." Came from Sailor Mercury who knelt down to start placing fruit in the wooden picnic basket.

"This is the fifth battle she's missed." Again Sailor Mars gritted her teeth and crumbled the plastic container of chocolate pudding like a paper ball. When the contents made its way down her balled up fists she cursed and tossed the plastic cup.

"As a matter of fact, she wasn't in class or at lunch yesterday. No one has heard from her." Sailor Jupiter picked out the forks and knifes from the trees. They had been thrown at the youmas when they first attacked. As they dodged the flying utensils from Jupiter, the girls had time to power up.

The scouts let the silence fall over them all as they began to ponder what could have made Usagi act the way she did. Lately she had seemed distant, distracted, and determined about something. Luna had even mentioned at the scout meeting the other day that Usagi would leave during the middle of the night and night return until dawn that morning. She always looked exhausted, but even more determined to make it through the day without any sleep. Her grades had fallen drastically and her friends were worried. Mercury lifted her head.

"What if she heard one of our conversations at the temple? You know the one we had the last time she was late? We said some hurtful things about her. You don't think she came in time to hear it all do you?" She questioned to the others, seeing their eyes widen at the thought. Jupiter shook her head and tossed the silver utensils in the basket.

"Yeah, but we didn't mean them. She should know that. I mean we talk down to her sometimes because it's the only way to get her to improve herself. Usagi knows we are only trying to help her."

"What if she doesn't? Usagi sometimes takes what we say pretty serious. I've seen how hurtful she gets after we yell at her. I know she is trying." Mercury tried to take up for her friend. Trying her best to reason what could be wrong.

"Why hasn't she grown up though? She is a princess and Sailor Moon. Why can't she understand that she has a lot of responsibility? We have to insure the coming of Crystal Tokyo. We have to protect our home. The sooner she comes to realize that, the faster we can be at ease." Mars bit back.

"Usagi is only a teenager-"; Mercury tried to defend her friend again but was caught off by Mars.

"Stop taking up for her! We are all teenagers, Mercury! We have the same responsibility as her, given it at the same time. We've learned to deal with the hand we were given, now she has to! She is going to be Earth's freaking queen some day!" She shouted back, no throwing things into the basket, trying to relieve her anger.

While the argument was going on Venus and Endymion stayed silent. They hadn't known Usagi from the very beginning, as well as the other three did. They had known her from the past, but the two were not exactly alike. They felt as if they had no room to speak now, but their guilty conscience took over once they remembered how badly they spoke of Usagi. They tried to defend their inner selves by admitting that they were just angry and upset with out the blonde was handling things. Sure, she came in just in time to save the world many times, but her attitude was all wrong. Something had to be done and that was what the group had been discussing that night.

However, right now all the group could think of was: Where is Usagi?

On the far side of the park a tall figure stood in the shadows of a large tree. He leaned up against it with his arms crossed over his chest. His face was set in a stone cold serious expression, with his lips pierced against each other. The man turned his head slightly to the side and looked out of the corner of his eye. Behind the tree stood the said Usagi whom everyone was worried about, she was knelt down and clutched the locket around her neck.

"You ready?" He spoke in a deep voice, yet softly to the young teenage girl behind the tree. "If you aren't, we can wait one more day." He finished.

The blonde ordango pressed her lips against one of her knees and sat quietly in her position. With one hand clutching the necklace and the other holding on to the bark of the tree, she thought of what she was about to do. If she did this now, there was no turning back. Usagi took another moment before looking up at the man that looked so much like a younger version of Prince Diamond. She whispered as softly as he did, as to not draw attention to the scouts just yet.

"The longer we wait, the more time Red Beard has to seek his revenge on us. We need to get to him before he attacks the solar system. I just don't get why I have to transform into my princess form. What good is that going to do?" Usagi knew that no matter what form she took, it was still going to be her. What difference would it make?

"The life form of the princess must be taken by a prince. In order for you to go through with the ritual, you cannot have the essence of Serenity in you, only Sailor Moon. A warrior for a warrior." He explained simply, but not detailed enough. Usagi was still confused but trusted the man in front of her.

Usagi took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. With enough concentration she was able to bring forth the essence of the princess within her and transform. The silver lights that glowed from the surface of the skin illuminated and caught the attention of the scouts. However, they did not see their leader behind the tree, only the man that stood beside it. They only assumed that the light came from him. The scouts and Endymion tensed up and took their fighting stance again.

"These guys just don't give up do they?" Jupiter asked as she took a step forward to line herself up with Venus who looked at the figure with curious eyes. There was a certain familiar aura around him that she couldn't quite place. She motioned for the others to hold their places.

"Who are you and what do you want?" She question in an interrogating way. There was definitely something about this guy that made her skin crawl and the sudden gust of wind didn't help the matter. It sent chills running up her spine and she could sense that something important was about to happen.

"I already have what I want." He stated with a smartass tone, avoiding the first half of the question. The pale, white haired man paused in order to make the tension rise. He could tell that their hearts were beginning to beat faster. It was how any one would get right before a fight began, but there wouldn't be a fight. "I have Princess Serenity…or at least I did."

Endymion growled and tightened his grip on the sword he held. The mischievous grin on the strangers face didn't make him feel any better. Images of different scenarios where he beat the living hell out of the man in the navy blue metallic armor ran through his mind. He watched as the stranger lifted one side of his midnight black cape as to show off the grey interior.

"You see, in a moment, she is going to die." He continued on, "In a slow, agonizing, pain-wrenching, death."

Endymion's nose started to flare up and his sapphire colored eyes darkened and narrowed into pure hatred for this man that stood before him. First he was going to punch him and knock his jaw out of place, and then he was going to grab his white low pony tail, yank it to group and slice him open like the frog he dissected in the 10th grade. No one was going to threaten the life of his Usako and get away with it.

"You lie." Endymion said in a deep, low voice that sounded much like the warning growl a wolf gives to his prey before attacking.

Sailor Mars took her place beside Endymion, sharing the same negative expression. She was disgusted with this man. Who did he think he was? No one would harm her friend and get away with it. She was the only one that could inflict pain on the ditzy blonde. Mars would make this stranger burn in hell before letting him touch Usagi.

"You're bloody corps will hit the ground before you touch a finger on her." She threatened. Mars motioned for the other scouts to power up their wands and get ready to attack. Endymion lifted his sword up much like a batter would in the game of baseball. His knuckles now white from the grip he held. Not being able to take the presence of this man any longer, the ebony haired prince let out a battle cry as he launched forward to strike the man where he stood.

The scouts took that as a sign to attack full force. There would be no way the man could survive with what they were throwing at him. However, as Endymion ran towards the man he felt like he was suddenly living in slow motion. He saw the stranger lower his cape to reveal Princess Serenity standing there with her hands clasped together in front of her as if she was praying. The prince watched as he saw each of the scouts' attacks fly pass him and hit the blonde with full force.

Like a bad nightmare, Endymion could not lift his legs up enough to pick up the speed he wanted to step in front of Serenity. He watched each attack hit her and when he realized that he was heading straight for her, sword in hand, he tried to stop himself. The stranger took a step forward and picked his foot up so that Endymion lost his footing and tripped into Serenity.

The only sound that the prince heard was that of his sword piercing through his lovers skin and reach all the way through. The sudden gasp for breath in his ear as their bodies collided with each other. With both of her hands, she reached up and took hold of his shoulders. Serenity pulled Endymion into an embrace and grunted. He could tell that she took in a deep breath, and before he knew it, everything had returned back to his normal speed. As they were falling, he regained his balance and caught the teenager before she hit the grass below. He closed his tearful eyes and began to cry out in horror at what he had done.

The scouts stood frozen in their position as the scene folded out in front of them. What had they done? Not sure of what to do, they just stood there to see what would happen next. The stranger retraced his steps and leaned back against the tree. He looked down with his grey eyes, expressionless.

"I didn't have to do a thing. You did the work for me." He stated before disappearing.

Endymion knelt down slowly, holding Serenity's form gently. She gasped for air, short breaths and a distant look in her eyes. With her hands, she wrapped them around her lover's neck and pulled him closer to her bloody lips.

"Thank you…" And that was it, before Endymion or any of the others could respond; the body of Serenity had disappeared much like the stranger had. The sword laid flat on the ground, no traces of the innocent body it had murdered. The man turned to look at the scouts that had matching baffled expressions.

What had just happened?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: Memories in a Dark Room

**Author's Note:**_** I apologize for keeping so long with chapters of my stories. After May 8**__**th**__** I will be on vacation from my first year in college…so I will have more time to get back to my writing. Expect many more chapters throughout the next couple of months!**_

_**I also wanted to make a note that this story takes after the Stars season. Everything went back to normal for a year or so, but now there has been some nega activity as our newest enemy comes to play. However, as Usagi leaves, the enemy will as well. Since they will follow wherever she goes. Things will be explained, I promise, but I wanted all of you to have an insight on what is going on before reading anymore.**_

_**I really appreciate all of you who read and comment on the chapters I put up. It really does help and I will try my best to complete this story. Thank you all for your support!**_

_**Skye**_

**Chapter One: Memories in a Dark Room**

Flashback to a month ago

"Imgoingtobelate! Imgoingtobelate! Imgoingtobelate!" came the loud shrills of a blonde sixteen year old girl who ran through the crowds of people on the streets of Tokyo. Grunts and rude remarks followed from several different individuals as the blonde ordango atama would knock pass them making someone drop an item or stumble into another. Cornflower blue eyes would glance back with an apologetic look in them as she waved that person and gave a request for forgiveness as she kept moving on. As she turned her head back to face forward, the teenager stumbled on something on the ground and found herself falling face first into the concrete sidewalk.

"Ouch!" She said out loud, but more to herself, as she rolled over on her back. Her eyes squinted in pain as she brought her knee up to her chest and sat herself up. The pain matched the nasty scrape on her knees as trickles of blood started to come out from the surface of the skin. She grimaced and took a sharp inhale of breath. She felt the same type of pain and some sort of liquid form flowing down her neck. With one hand, Usagi reached up to touch her chin and realized she had scraped that too.

"This is going to hurt when mom bandages me up…" the teenager trailed off to her own inward thoughts as she stood and began walking in the opposite direction she had been running from. The day had started out so well. She had gotten up with her alarm, ate breakfast with her family, walked to school instead of running…which helped because she didn't fall asleep in class. The run to school always made her so tired and hungry. Yet, that didn't happen today. The sun-kissed golden blonde haired teenager had no idea what had gotten her up, but for whatever reason, she felt good about the day. Usagi had even paid attention in class, enough so that she understood what she was doing on her assignments and finished her homework in class. If only Rei could have seen her…

After the thought processed in her head, Usagi stopped dead in her tracks and screamed "OH NO! I'M LATE!"

Before she knew it, her feet were faced in their previous direction and made a mad dash. The pain was still there, but the girl's determination was far greater than her slight wounds.

"Reisgoingtokillme!Reisgoingtokillme!I'mlate!I'mlate!I'mlate!" the girl squeaked out as she made her way towards the temple. She had a feeling that the day was only going to get worse.

As Usagi made her way towards the other side of town, her long blonde hair flapped behind her as her speed picked up. Luckily, she was used to having to run a long distance in such a short time with previous youma attacks. Otherwise, the teenager would have passed out half way there from exhaustion. Training with Makoto and Minako really paid off as well. The heroine glanced down at her wrist watch once more and realized she still had another ten minutes before actually being late. If she increased her speed a little more, she could make it to the temple within eight minutes.

_Come on, Usagi. You can do it. Just a little further. Please don't be late again._

The girl chanted inside her head as she picked up her speed. Rounding the corner of yet, another street, Usagi landed straight until a hard, solid surface with a lot of force. Recognizing the feel of her body colliding with someone else and her body falling forward, the blonde closed her eyes and embraced her self for the connection with the ground. Though she landed, face-first, the impact was not as tough as she expected and opened her eyes. Cornflower colored eyes widened in complete shock as she found herself lying on top of the hard surface she ran into. Her eyes met with deep sapphire colored eyes. At first she thought she had run into Mamoru-baka again, but pulling her body up, she was shocked to find that it was another man. He looked like he could be Prince Dimando's young self, but that was not possible. The Dark Moon would not be expected for some time.

Usagi blinked as she came back from her thoughts and saw that the man was also staring at her. Blinking again, and then hearing whistles from on coming people passing them by, the blonde squeaked and jumped up. She dusted herself off and held out her hand for the man that was still lying flat on the sidewalk.

"Please forgive me, I am so sorry. I did not see where I was going." She said in a rushed voice, but still enough to show that she was extremely remorseful for what had just happened. The man took hold of her hand firmly, and stood up to face her. He let go of her hand and swept himself off, then looked back down at her.

"I am such a klutz. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just can't seem to do anything right today. I truly am sorry for running into you." Usagi began complaining, but not in her usual whine tone. Bowing forward to show her regret, the blonde did not move until there came no yelling or anything. Confused, the teenager stood straight up to see if the man had just walked away, yet he hadn't. The silver haired man just stood in front of her and stared. Narrowing her eyes, she studied that he was paler than what he had been a few seconds ago. For a moment, Usagi could have sworn that he looked like he saw a ghost. Did the two know each other? Though the girl had a strange familiar feeling towards this man, she could not place where she saw him from.

Remembering that she was late, Usagi bowed again in a hurry and made a quick apology before running in the same direction as she had before. The girl was definitely going to be late to one of the study sessions. Turning her eyes towards the sky as she ran, Usagi prayed that Rei would be in a better mood today. She had to give her a little slack though, Usagi had not been late to a study session since there had been attacks on Earth. She had done fairly well over the past year and a half. Her grades had improved and if not counting today, she had learned to be more…graceful.

Reaching the temple, the blonde climbed the steps and finally came to her final destination. Opening the door to Rei's room, Usagi bowed again to those who were there already. Lifting herself up, she saw that everyone was there and looked at her oddly. Rei raised and eye brow and took a look at the digital clock on the wall behind her.

"I'm sorry." The blonde said again for the thousandth time today. "Today just has not been my day."

Her group of friends greeted her with a smile and Usagi saw that Makoto patted on a cushion near her and Ami at the table. The blonde smiled brightly as she saw that there was still hot chocolate left with some refreshments. Rei shook her head as her arms crossed over her chest.

"I thought you grew out of your bad habits, Meatball Head?" She scolded, but in a less harsh tone.

Making her way around the table, Usagi plopped down on the cushion and shrugged at her raven haired friend's comment. A cup of hot chocolate was passed on to her along with a plate of cookies. Eyes widen with joy, the teenager began to scarf down the food to make up for her work out previously.

"Aw, Rei, give her some slack. A princess is allowed to be fashionably late. Isn't that…right...Usa-gi…?" Minako trailed off as she looked from Rei to her look-alike. The group watched as the blonde finished her drink and half the plate of cookies. Finally, Usagi sighed in utter bliss and rubbed her tummy.

"That hit the spot. I was famished!"

There was silence in the room before the group of girls began to laugh whole heartily at the scene before them. There leader and princess looked at them in bewilderment not knowing what they were laughing at. After a while, Ami stopped laughing and questioned Usagi on why she was kept in class after school. The blonde hesitated for a moment before opened her mouth.

"I was asked to see the principal because of my college entrance exams…" the girl trailed off in a low voice.

All eyes were now on their leader as she kept quiet. All four of the Senshi had passed their college entrance exams, but it was Usagi whose test scores they were all waiting on. Yes, she had done fairly well since the war a year ago, but there was still that chance. Ears perked as everyone sat completely still, waiting for Usagi to answer. Another moment passed before the blonde lifted her head up from its bowed position, as if she was ashamed.

"…yeah the principal said that he was embarrassed by my test scores. Apparently, I got a point higher than Ami and would be starting in the fall." The girl finished with a huge smile on her face that beamed. Crickets were heard before the shouting began as each girl congratulated the blonde on her test scores and were excited that everyone was going to get into the same college. They chatted about what they would all do and that when the school year had ended, they would go shopping for new clothes and things for their rooms.

Mamoru walked in on the chatter and stopped at the door trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. It was Minako that noticed the new presence in the room and welcomed the ebony haired man into the session. He smiled in an awkward way, not for sure what he was walking into.

"What's going on?" He asked, spotting that everyone was excited about something he was unaware of.

"I GOT ACCEPTED INTO COLLEGE, MAMO-CHAN!" Usagi shouted with excitement and leapt up from her sitting position and ran to where the man was standing. Not one to show emotion all that much, Mamoru smiled lightly as he opened his arms to welcome his girlfriend's embrace. Wrapping her in his arms, he squeezed her tightly as her arms came around his neck.

"I am proud of you, Usako. You are doing well in your studies." He finished before the two let go of each other and joined the rest of the group. For the rest of the evening, the group of six spoke of future plans and how their whole lives would be planned out. Things were finally going their way for the first time since they became protectors of the Earth.

A month later

A loud gasp was heard as it echoed off the thick, blank walls of a dark and damp room. The small body frame of a young girl shot out of the sleeping position she had been in for some time. Usagi held her hands where Endymion's sword had plunged itself into her flesh. She could have sworn that it was still wedged in there. Feeling around, she realized that she was no longer at the park and no longer in her ivory colored dress. Her attire merely consisted of a plain white night gown that resembled her Princess dress, but without all the decorations. Her ordango style hair was now down and her long, golden, locks hung down all around her. Once bright and happy cornflower blue eyes were now a dark grey and glossed over. Her cheeks her flushed and moist from the tears that launched out as she woke from her nightmare.

Taking in a deep inhale, Usagi looked around at where she was and realized that it was nightmare. It was real and now her loved ones thought she was dead. Closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around her knees, Usagi curled up in a ball in her sitting position. She was in so much pain and could only cry the pain into a numbing feeling at the pit of her stomach.

"Forgive me, Love...forgive me everyone."

There was a brief knock before the large double doors of the room opened and allowed a dim light to peer through the shadows. The blonde looked up to see who had disturbed her grieving process. Her eyes squinted as even the smallest of light hurt her eyes. As her watery eyes adjusted to the light, she made out a fuzzy image of the silver haired man standing at the opening. A smile confirmed that the job had been done. Usagi glared at him, but then sighed out loud. She loosened her grip on her knees and relaxed on top of the bed she was on.

"Sweet dreams, I hope?" He said in a mugged tone. Raising an eye brow, Usagi stared at him in utter distaste.

"What do you think?" She questioned in a nasty, bitter tone.

"Cranky aren't we? Yeah well...I bet if I had my lover stab me in the guts, I would be a bit bitchy too."

The man acted as if nothing had happened. As if he just did not witness someone loosing their entire life in the snap of a finger. Just like that, the past no longer existed and Princess Serenity was merely a faded memory within the girl's mind. She no longer had that alternate personality within her mind speaking with her. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, the blonde stood from the bed and walked over to the vanity that was sat up against the wall on the other side of the room. She sat gracefully on the cushioned stool and began brushing her hair. There was a dead and distant look within her eyes as she stared at her reflection.

"So it is done?" She questioned in a serious tone.

The man nodded and walked a little further in the bed room. His sapphire eyes never left her. He watched as she ran the brush through her hair as if she was on automatic. Finally, he stood behind her and studied her appearance in the mirror. Usagi never once looked up to meet his gaze.

"The hardest part, yes. Transforming into the princess before being killed helped with the spell. It has separated the link between you and your past. It will make the ritual of the Kumori spirit a little easier." He informed her, touching the hand that held the brush. Her movements stopped as the man loosened her grip on the brush and took it from the blonde. Keeping his eyes on her, the man held the brush now and began stroking Usagi's long blonde hair as she stared at herself in the mirror.

"I see. When will the ritual take place?" She asked in a mono toned voice. Everything about the girl seemed dead since the incident. The man noticed that the women before him looked like an empty shell that was programmed to look and sound likes its original owner. Usagi was like a robot. Cold and emotionless.

The man cleared his throat and began speaking again as if the in take of her appearance did not disturb him. "The ritual will take place tomorrow. Ajax wants you to rest first. Plus it takes a lot of preparation to call upon a warrior spirit from the other world." He finished and then sat the brush back down on the vanity desk.

The silver haired man gathered the large amount of golden locks within both of his hands and pulled them from the girl's face. He bent down to her sitting form with his head resting on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to continue with this?" He asked in a concerned voice.

Without hesitation, Usagi replied, "Yes. It is for the lives of the people of Earth. I have taken an oath to protect them and I will do whatever possible to do so." Standing up, the blonde moved from her sitting position and walked away living the man standing where he was…looking at his own reflection.


End file.
